


Five Ways Link and Revali Never Met

by tirsynni



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23263996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tirsynni/pseuds/tirsynni
Summary: Five ways Revali could have met the Hylian Champion... but didn't.
Relationships: Link & Revali (Legend of Zelda), Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 202





	Five Ways Link and Revali Never Met

1)

Personally, Revali believed four Champions to be more than enough. Well, four Champions and Princess Zelda, but he had his own thoughts about the princess and the position the Hylian King put her in, thoughts he had been told more than once by the Elder to keep his beak closed on. 

But really, all this fuss over a mere  _ legend _ ? Such an insulting legend at that?

In the southeast, Princess Mipha scoured land and water alike. To the southwest, Urbosa searched the sands. Northeast, Daruk amid the fire and rocks, like a Hylian could possibly survive there. In the northwest, Revali flew high over snowy peaks on the off-chance that some mythical Hylian decided that today was an excellent day to freeze his pointed ears off.

The Elder also told him to keep his beak shut about  _ those _ opinions. He also told him to be quiet about his opinions on the so-called  _ Master _ Sword. Really, now that Revali thought of it, the Elder didn’t give him permission to speak of much. Hylians were such delicate creatures, unable to handle honesty about their ridiculous myths.

He didn’t even know what he was supposed to be searching  _ for _ . Revali had spotted several Hylians so far, almost all of them riding their shields down the mountains. Most of them. Two were rolling in the snow while the broken bits of their shields trailed behind them. He already needed to rescue one Hylian from a hungry Lizalfos. 

The princess told the Champions that they would know the Hylian Champion when they saw him, but it was clear that she was parroting the king’s words. There was no confidence in her eyes, and her hands had been clasped so tightly on that damned Sheikah Slate that Revali expected it to break at any moment. She then regaled them with tales of past Champions, nameless and faceless, their stories short and to the point.

The point being Hyrule being in danger, something Mipha quietly pointed out.  _ “Perhaps he will only appear when the Calamity awakens?” _

Really, it was a statement of its craftsmanship that Princess Zelda didn’t break the Slate.  _ “There are no tales of anyone seeking the Champion before disaster strikes. We wish to change that.” _

Revali huffed and let himself spin in the air, gaze fixing on where Vah Medoh soared above the village. It was a clear day, the sun reflecting beautifully off Medoh’s wings, and Revali let his eyes linger, let the breeze take him. He should be with Medoh, working with her, or perhaps at the village, practicing his Gale. Anything but --

Below him, something roared. Blood chilling, Revali spun in the air and looked down. Any warrior worth his wings would know that sound.

A Lynel.

Shit.

A Lynel that was already firing. Revali didn’t have time to get a closer look at the beast, already darting away as fire arrows lit up the sky. With a grunt and a twist, he fired back, plain arrows instead of bomb arrows because he expected this to be a simple scouting mission. 

Urbosa was never going to let him live this down.

The Lynel dodged with a speed not matching its girth. Quickly, far too quickly, the beast was firing again, the beautiful clear sky filled with smoke and flames.

Revali ducked and weaved through the air, firing at every opportunity, feeling the heat of the monster’s arrows when he moved too slowly. Fleeing occurred to him, but even discounting his pride, a Lynel’s aim was a terrifying thing, especially considering it held a bow which shot five arrows at a time. More importantly, the Lynel was far too close to the Hylians playing in the snow. It would be a massacre.

Taking a deep breath, Revali swooped toward the beast, firing as quickly as he could. The Lynel roared as his arrows struck its thick skin and staggered but the damned thing didn’t fall. Instead, he fired back, and Revali almost flew into a tree avoiding the blazing arrows. One still scorched the feathers on his right wing, and hissing, Revali struggled upward, needing distance between himself and the Lynel.

The  _ white _ Lynel. He had never heard of one traveling so far south.

The Lynel roared and Revali twisted, lining up another shot. Shock staggered him, and he hastily put his bow back on his back and flew higher.

There was a Hylian on the Lynel’s back. Revali was beginning to wonder if those wildberries this morning had gone sickly and he just hadn’t noticed.

Riding the raging Lynel like a wild horse, the Hylian, so tiny compared to the monster, hacked away at the Lynel like it was a chunk of meat. Finally, the Lynel kicked the Hylian off. Instead of going flying like he should, the Hylian backflipped, shooting once in midair -- a terrible shot, really, looking like he hit the Lynel more due to close proximity than anything else -- before landing on his feet and darting back. Revali took advantage of the Lynel’s distraction to swoop in again and resume firing.

The rest of the battle went strangely, remarkably smoothly after that. When Revali sought higher altitudes to shoot the Lynel, the Hylian attacked, keeping the Lynel from firing at Revali. When the Hylian pulled back, Revali swooped in, his arrows scoring the Lynel’s hide like talons.The battle dragged on, less due to their skill than the monster’s strength, but as the sun began its descent, the monster at last stumbled and fell. It faded into smoke, leaving naught but its weapons and the odd horn behind.

More exhausted than he would like to admit, Revali flew down to join the Hylian. The Hylian nodded at him. His weapon was broken, and he tossed it carelessly into the snow before poking at the Lynel’s sword. Apparently finding it pleasing, he took it, as well as the giant bow and shield. All of it looked massive on the small Hylian, so ridiculous that Revali couldn’t help a small smile.

“I thank you for your help, although it was not needed,” Revali said smoothly. He bowed with a flourish of one wing, enjoying how the Hylian’s shockingly blue eyes widened. “I am Revali, Champion of the Rito. And you are…?”

In contrast to Revali’s elegant bow, the Hylian’s was quick and choppy. “Link. I am Link.”

2)

A Hylian Knight was meeting the Elder. How dull.

Banished from the Elder’s roost (and the area around the roost, including its roof), Revali sat on the landing and stared at the sky. It taunted him, vast and open and brilliant. In return, he scowled at it. 

Some days, it looked farther away than others.

Revali’s eyes burned. He blinked the feeling away. Damned flight feathers. The Elder assured him that they would finish growing in soon and he had been in the middle of grooming them when the Hylians arrived. Once they finished growing, everything would be  _ better _ . He knew it.

No one bothered Revali on the landing, but they walked close enough that he could hear their whispers as they passed. All Hylian nonsense, from the sounds of it. He heard enough to verify his suspicions: the Knight had been sent by the Hylian King. One way or another, Revali would find out what was going on, even if he had to pry the information out of --

“Revali! The Elder is asking for you.”

Revali absolutely did not jump. With great deliberation, he turned his scowl to Anno, who smiled back at him. One day, people would dread his wrath. One day. For now, he only sniffed and stood. He passed Anno without a backward glance. To his mounting fury, he thought he heard Anno giggle behind him.

One day…

The Hylian Knight was still present when Revali reached the Elder. To Revali’s relief, the Elder beamed but did not perform his usual ritual of pulling Revali onto his lap. They had  _ guests _ . “Ah, Revali, excellent! Come, come!”

His scowl twisting his mouth around his beak, Revali strode into the roost. He spared the Hylian the smallest of glances. Pale and naked looking even with all of his armor. The growth on his face and head looked bright golden but unkempt. Terrible grooming.

Wait. Was there --

By then, Revali reached the Elder. The Elder laid his wing on the still rough feathers covering the back of Revali’s neck, gently turning him so he faced their guest. Guests. Revali had been right. Tucked away behind the Knight’s legs was  _ another _ Hylian, this one Revali’s size. Golden… Fur? Hair? Not feathers. Golden  _ something _ , longer than the other Hylian, covered his head, but his face was bare and pale.

“Revali, this is Knight Pelleas. He will be the new liaison with King Rhoam and the Hylian Court. Knight Pelleas, my beloved ward, Revali.”

To the Hylian’s credit, he bowed respectfully enough to Revali. Feeling the Elder’s gaze sharp on him, Revali bowed back. Courteous enough, even if he was too scruffy.

“And this,” the Elder continued, gesturing at the tiny Hylian, “is his son, Link. He will be staying with us while Knight Pelleas is working.”

Copying his father, Link bowed. He then glanced back at his father, as if for approval. The Knight smiled but his expression remained weary. No, more than weary.  _ Sad _ . Was this mission below his grand expectations? Revali bowed back to Link and hoped the motion hid his scowl.

Then the Elder spoke again. “As Link is about your age, I hoped he could visit with you while his father works.”

Suddenly, the Elder calling him here made sense. Revali stared at the tiny Hylian: tiny, skinny, naked, with his blue eyes too big for his featherless face. He didn’t look honored or even pleased with the plan. He looked like he would leap out of his feathers if he had any.

“Oh, pluck me,” Revali said flatly.

“ _ Revali! _ ’

3)

Rumors abounded through Rito Village. All Hylian nonsense, from what Revali noted. Not that he was  _ listening _ . He had better things to do than listen to featherless gossip. Unfortunately, some of it proved disturbingly pertinent. Enough so that the Elder pulled Revali aside.

Rumors of the Calamity rising again, after thousands of years. Rumors with enough force to convince the Hylian King to search for the weapons of old, as well as Champions to master them.

Weapons, the Elder added with a sigh when Revali kept staring at him, which had been  _ found _ .

That did explain all of the ruckus, Revali was forced to admit. Quietly. To himself. 

Then the Elder explained the most pertinent part. Four of these  _ Divine Beasts _ were discovered, and Princess Zelda herself planned to travel to the different peoples of Hyrule to find a Champion for each Beast. The Elder had put forth Revali’s name as the Rito Champion.

Which led to Revali being here. Instead of being at his favorite spot, practicing his Gale, he was south of the village at the edge of Strock Lake: a small valley between Cuho Mountain and Nero Hill. He rarely came here, the spot too popular with the Hylian fishermen and the occasional daring Zora. It definitely wasn’t the most ideal place, but not even the Elder would suspect him of practicing here. When he couldn’t have his platform, he had places in Hebra Mountains, one place in particular where he also practiced his archery. The Elder would look in those places before looking at this valley. 

Not that he was  _ hiding _ or anything. He wasn’t! Surely a warrior of his calibre deserved peace to work on his skills!

So of course he didn’t get it.

Disgust and curiosity warred within him as Revali settled on one of the many ledges Cuho Mountain offered. Broken wood, shredded fabric, the remains of at least one fire, and scattered bones and shattered weapons covered the ground below him. Revali guessed it used to be a monster camp, and the possibility disturbed him. Had he been so involved in his training that he didn’t notice a threat so close by?

Lizalfos, he guessed, based on a spotted talon and the nearby water. Annoying bastards.

The Elder had also spoken of increased monster sightings. Monsters harassing travelers, beasts like Lynels and Hinoxes appearing in greater numbers when they typically stayed to their own territories, Lizalfos harassing the Zora like they have not done in over a thousand years. It was the monster sightings more than anything else which sparked rumors of the Calamity’s return.

Revali shivered, staring at a pile of smoking wood. They were going to set up a camp here, and the Rito wouldn’t have noticed some missing fishermen. So close to home…

Of course, that led to the obvious question: not about the monsters appearing, but what  _ happened _ to them?

The Gisa Crater was a popular place for Stone Taluses to hide. Perhaps one of them? They were temperamental brutes and quickly took offense when someone stepped on them. Revali took to the air, the breeze from the lake sweeping him westward. The monsters  _ were _ known to fight amongst themselves, and it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing if a Lizalfos ran over the Talus. Revali once sparked a fight between a red Lynel and a Hinox, just to see what would happen.

He… actually didn’t remember the end of it, thanks to the concussion, but he  _ knew _ they fought.

The trail to the crater was telling. Not only Lizalfos remains but  _ Moblins _ . Perhaps it had been a battle among the monsters, especially as there was no sign of a Stone Talus in the crater, but the frozen stone settling in Revali’s gut pointed otherwise. If it had been a feud between the monsters, there wouldn’t have been a camp in progress. 

They had been working together.

Perhaps, just perhaps… the Hylians had reason to be worried, after all.

The conflicting air between the lake and the canyon made it easy for a Rito of Revali’s skill to keep himself aloft. He visually swept the area, ready to pull out his bow if any monster was so foolish as to pop up its head. 

No monsters, but Revali noted that there were several opals and other stones scattered throughout the crater. Whatever killed the Stone Talus hadn’t stuck around to gather their winnings. Or hadn’t had a chance. One of those. 

A flash of blue by the cliff. Revali narrowed his eyes. Did a monster survive after all? He tucked his wings and dived downward. Well, let them fear Revali’s wrath --

No. A Hylian? Revali slowed, hovering in the air not far from the cliff’s edge. A Hylian with a bright blue tunic, as if he desired for all of the local monsters to aim for his heart. Fool. His bright blond hair, catching the sunlight, didn’t help. Of course, considering that the idiot was leaning over the edge of a practically bottomless pit, perhaps he was simply suicidal. If he leaned any farther over, he would simply tumble down and save them all the hassle. Revali sighed and glided closer. Perhaps the idiot knew something of what happened.

“You there!” he called. “What --”

Revali heard it just as the Hylian whipped his head toward Revali, eyes wide and dilated with fear. One hand remained over the ledge, clutching something. Just out of Revali’s sight, a horse whinnied.

The Goddesses were indeed fucking with him this day.

“Help!” the Hylian called before turning back toward the cliff’s edge. His hoarse voice made Revali cringe even as he flew opposite the Hylian. Had he ever heard of water, perchance? Maybe some wildberry tonic with honey?

Of  _ course _ there was a horse. It was a large beast with white hair and eyes as terrified as its master’s. It balanced -- barely -- on a jutting rock, held still only by the Hylian’s grip on its reins. It whinnied again, a high frightened sound, and Revali barely held back a flinch. This was  _ not _ how he intended on practicing his Gale today, but a hero had to do what a hero had to do.

“Brace yourself!” Revali shouted and then swept under the horse. The Hylian’s gasp was gratifying, but Revali had to focus on other things now.

To be absolutely honest, Revali’s training had been… well… singularly focused. Getting himself into the air in a focused and deliberate fashion. After he mastered that, then he planned on expanding his skillset. 

Not that there was any reason to share this with the Hylian.

Revali took a deep breath. “Brace yourself!” he repeated. Whether he was telling himself or the Hylian, he wasn’t sure.

There was a single glimpse of incredibly blue frightened but  _ trusting _ eyes, and Revali held that image close to his breast as he landed beneath the horse. The horse whuffed but remained remarkably steady for a dumb beast. 

There was no answer from above. Revali hoped the idiot had listened. Focusing on his breathing, Revali summoned his power. He had never used it with another living being, but what better time than in the field.

Right? Right.

“Here we  _ go! _ ”

Revali pushed upward, his fledgling Gale wild around him, and the horse’s frightened whinny turned into a shriek. The last thing Revali heard was a cry from the Hylian, and then there was only the howl of the wind around him. 

Any other time, Revali would focus on controlling the wind currents, on stabilizing his place in the middle, on pushing himself up and beyond. Now he shoved himself sideways as soon as he shot above the Hylian, freeing himself from his Gale. The wind tore at his wings, and he flapped and struggled to keep himself upright. He refused to fall and look like a fool after he just performed a heroic rescue.

Through pure determination, Revali steadied himself. Panting softly, he turned toward the Hylian and his horse. The Hylian still held onto the horse’s reins and was in the process of pulling the horse further inland. Good. Revali would have been annoyed if the Hylian had panicked and all that been for nothing.

Revali’s muscles burned more than he expected as he settled beside the Hylian. Hmm. Perhaps he needed to add more exercises to his practices. It might help him perfect his Gale.

In the meantime… “What happened here?” Revali demanded. “Did you see what happened to the monster camp?”

The Hylian paused from inspecting his horse to turn to Revali. Up close, the Hylian wasn’t as ugly as many of his ilk. Despite his bald state, some might even call him attractive. Some. Those with questionable taste. At least his eyes were appropriate: sky-blue. When he spoke, his voice was so soft that Revali struggled to hear him.

“I am Link. Thank you for rescuing Epona.” He bowed, and Revali automatically inclined his head back. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Revali preened. Of course he couldn’t, but Revali was generous enough to not say so. “The Rito are always happy to help. I am Revali, warrior of the Rito and master of the skies.”

Those sky-blue eyes lit up with recognition. “Princess Zelda is on her way to see you. The King bid me to investigate the area before she visited.”

Several responses immediately clamored in Revali: pride, because this verified that Revali was the obvious choice to be the Rito Champion; indignation, because didn’t the Hylians think the Rito kept the area safe; annoyance, because there  _ had _ been an enemy camp here (which Revali would have cleared as soon as he noticed them); and recognition.

There were rumors about the Champions, after all. This warrior, this  _ Link _ , must be the Hylian Champion. The one with the so-called special sword in place of one of the Divine Beasts.

The one staring at Revali with such warm eyes now, even as he continued petting his horse.

Revali cleared his throat. “Well then, if you are quite done throwing yourself over various cliffs, I suppose you could join me. I wouldn’t mind seeing what my fellow Champion is capable of.”

Neither mentioned that Revali wasn’t officially a Champion yet. As if there was any doubt of it. Link only smiled -- a tiny thing, true, but it was definitely a smile -- and nodded. 

Revali might -- possibly, maybe -- have had doubts about all of this Champion nonsense, but he saw now that there were definite perks to the position. And how could he possibly deny them his amazing skills?

If only Link had golden feathers to match his golden hair...

4) 

“Link’s, that’s not a monster!  _ That’s a Rito! _ ”

“... … …”

“... … …”

“... … …”

“I am so, so sorry. He didn’t --”

“Not only did he try to  _ shoot me _ , his aim is horrendous! What is  _ wrong _ with you, you featherless upstart? Look at your stance! Look at that bow! How pathetic. If you’re going to try and shoot a Rito, you could at least be  _ good at it! _ ”

5)

“Well. You aren’t who I expected. I expected maybe the white Rito who keeps circling my Beast, or maybe a Sheikah pretending to actually work for a change. You… Who are you then?

“Well, well, speak up! If you’re bold enough to fly to Medoh and take out her cannons, then you’re bold enough to speak to a dead hero. Come on then!

“...Link? Hmm. What a dull name. I suppose you’ll have to do. Now then, listen well. This is what you must do.

“Perhaps. Just perhaps. If you don’t die terribly. You can explain to me why you took it upon yourself to free Vah Medoh and myself. It’ll require talking, but it’s the least you can do.”

**Author's Note:**

> For more Legend of Zelda and Revalink, check out my [tumblr](https://tirsynni.tumblr.com/).


End file.
